Directional signal



y 1932- F. E. GRAGG ET AL V 1,866,302

DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL Filed May 29, 1929 2 She ts-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS y 1932- F; E. GRAGG ET AL 1,866,802

DIRECTIONAL S IGNAL Filed May 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIGJO.

INVENTORS AT'roR gEYs FRANCES sIqNoRs-To limvrunnc. HAMES, F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Patented July 12, 1932 T-ES . WITEDYSTA PATENT OFFICE ETHEL 'GRAGG'AND IIEONABD B. COHN, 015 LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AS-

1 I DIRECTIONAL SIGNAL g Application filed my 29,

vehicles as automobiles. 4

An object of' the invention'is the provision Our invention relates to signals for such of a vehicle signal, the essential characteristic ofwhich is that it appears to the observer, as

a 'lin'e'oflight disposed in substantial parallelismwith thelongitudinalaxis of the ve j hi'cjle upon which'the signal is mounted. As a result; thefsign'al is capab-le'oi indicatingthe direction of movement of the vehicle, or, if theveliicle is standing, the direction in-which the vehiclefis'fa'ciiig. The device'of'the present invention constitutesa'n improvementover that forming the subject matter of our cope'nding application, Serial No'. 352,275, filed'i'lpril 3, 1929. A more detailed'object is the provision of a 'signalas described, whic'his capablepf being mounted in operative position upon avehicle, with a minimum of labor, and without the necessity of employing other than the simplest of'tools, x Another object is'tlieprovision of a linear signal'of the general character-described, of

an especially convenient and compact design,

which renders the device adaptable for mounting without materially harming the surface of the vehicle.

' A further object'is the provision of a vehicle signal, one of the constituent elements of which is an elongated, luminous element suitably mounted within a backing or housing particularly adapted for mounting upon the sill of'one of the windows of an automobile. This'construction affords-a particularlv convenient arrangement-,and one which is capable of being mounted in operative position very easily, and yetwhich yields a device hav-' ing a very neat, attractive and finished appearance after having been so installed.

stiilfurther object is the production of a vehicle signal of the general character described, the cost of which has been reduced to afminimum.

The invention possesses other objects and advantageous features, some of which, with those enumerated, will be set forth in the following description of the inventions particular embodiment which is illustrated in the 1929. Serial so. 367,030.-

drawings accompanying and forming a part of the specification.

Referring to the drawings:

' Figure 1 is aperspectiv'e view of a portion of an automobile with one embodiment of; the signal of the present invention mounted in operative position thereupon Fig. 2 isan' enlarged vie'wlin' sideelevation, of the signal device of Fig. 1." A portion'of the Figure isbroken away to reduce its length;

F ig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View of one end of the device, the'plane of section being indicated b the line 33 of Fig. 2, and the direction 0 View by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a vertical, transverse sectional'view taken upon the line 44 of Fig. 2, with the direction of view as indicated;

Fig. 5 is a vertical, transverse sectional view taken upon the line 5'5 of Fig. 2, with the direction of view as indicated;

Fig. dis a perspective view of one of the, plates whereby the luminous element is releasably retained within the housing; 1

Fig. 7 is a View similar to Fig. 4, but showing a slightly modified form of electrical contact; J

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the vehicle door of Fig. 1. The plane of section is taken upon the line 88 of Fig. 1, and the direction of view is indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8, but showing the signal device mounted upon the interior of the vehicle;

Fig. 10 isa perspective View similar to Fig. 1, showing the signal mounted in a slightly different position upon the vehicle;

Fi 11 is a horizontal sectional view of a slightly modified form of the signal device;

Fig. 12 is an end elevation taken in the direction of the arrow 12 of Fig. 11;

Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the modified form of plate adapted for use with the embodiment of Figs. 11 and 12;

Fig. 14 is a perspective view of the cushioning block.

In its broader aspect, the signal device of the present invention, comprises an elongated housing having a luminous, linear lamp disthe efficacy of the signal, and furthermore,- because of the appearanceofsuch a lamp as a line of light, inasmuch asthe s'ignalis" to be positioned .with this l-ine;o.f light in parallelism with the path of movementofthe vehicle- Consequently, the. signal is -capable of indicating. .ir stantaneously-,.to .an observer, "the 1 dir et ene'i whi he ive l i s wring, r. ll-which th iw biq eis-fac s. rh 1dbe stationary. Such;asignal, tvil l.lie-conducive to .sa etnnet rely-t h weh el apm which he .sig a is. ot niedizb ti ow rrv h c sas well inasmuchiasit will reduce-to -a;mini'- mum, the danger of collisions upon crowded thoroughfares .and intersections. .The elongated: nature of .theirluminous element, not on1y;.adds to its. visibility because .of the 2 larger size of thesource of light,';but it-also indicates ,at .a. glance, the idirection in which the. vehicle; ismoving, thus making it easier for another vehioletegauoid striking or :being ruck-th hich carryi h n it i q e t yoe r durine he eni s h ur and more especially upon-crowded thoroughfares,.that the,dri.-verjof..one vehicle, being blinded bythe many headlights of other vehicles is unable to discern. a car crossing in front of ,him inasmuch the headlights of the latter canarenot :visibleto him. By mounting signals of our invention, on the sides of .an automobile, such a possibility'is overcome ..and'y inasmuch as the preferred embodiment. of-the-present invention, can be constructedzand sold ;to the public at relatively low cost, it will serve to materially reduce traffic accidents.

Specifically describing the preferred embodiment of the invention, -'we'have provided an elongated'housing 11 preferably rectangular in cross section and having a groove 12 in the outerface 13 thereof This groove 12 extends longitudinally of the housing 11, and

its side walls 14 aconverge'towards the bottom of the'groove as best;shown,u-pon Fig.

5. This housingg 11 maybe constructed of any suitable dielectric. and opaque material.

but. we prefer to use ;-a material ofany well known phenolic condensation product,. in that :it; .lends itself particularly :well to the present use as a result of its high insulating qualities and its inherent strength-which results inits aflording adequate protection for. the: relatively fragile, luminous --element 16 This type of luminous element is which is disposed within the bottom of the groove 12 extending longitudinally of the housing 11.

This luminous element 16 may also be of any suitable nature, provided it is elongated and .relativelynarrow, the purpose being to present jto;theFobservr, a line of zlight. The

well known neon tube is the character of "luminous element best suited to the present use,;in so far-as weiareinformedatpresent;

because ,of the highly penetrating quality of the light emitted thereby, and because many different colors of light may be obtained by such means. Furthermore, the neon tube is particularly well adapted for use as a vehicle signal,--inasmuch as it is not subject to deterioration or injury by the vibration to which .it will be subjected when carriedby'an automobile 1 .lnasmuch as the gas with which such artube is nfilled, requires an electrical; discharge to eftectluminosityithereof,-each.end of the tube provided with a suitable electrode 17 adapted to be engaged by a .contaot'18, oneof which is provided adjacent each-end of the housing 11 within an enlarged portion19 ofthe groove 12. A suitable electrical conductor21 provided with insulating. material 22, .is 'associated with each contact .18 to effect-proper energization thereof. w

A preferably, rectangular socket 26' is formed in the face13 of the housing 11 adjacenteach end thereof, for the reception of a plate 27 whichpreferably fits !nicely therein. A block 28 .of rubber or other suitable iresilient material is carried by each of the plates 27 upon the inner face thereof,.to-engage the associated end ofthe tube 16 to resiliently ,press the associated electrode 17 against its contact 18. A plurality .of screws extend through apertures in the plate "27, and are'threaded into the body of the housing 11, to releasably retain each plate in that 'position in which the tube 16 ispressed against the bottom ofthe groove 12, and the electrodes .17v are pressed against their respective contacts 18. Each plate is provided with. an extended foot 30 at theinner "end thereof, having a concave surface 31conf0rming'to the tube 16 and engageable therewith as the plate 27 is pressed home within its socket 26, thus securely clamping the tube16 against any possible vibration within the housing 11. 'Fi '7 shows a modified form of electrical contact. The housing 36 is here provided with a larger space 37 adjacent each end within which a U-shaped spring contact 38 is retained as by a rivet'39. The parts are so proportioned that one of the electrodes 17 may be forced between the legs of the contact 38,

The spring contacts 38 are-alsoprov'ided with electricalconductors 41; and the same type of clampin prevent inadvertent displacement of the tube While the signal above described may be mounted in any convienent location upon the vehicle, such as upon the panel of one of the doors, extending along the edge of the roof, or just below the edge of the runningboard, or in fact, in various other localities, the present embodiment has been particularly designed for installation as best shown upon Figs. 1, 8, and 9. Here the housing is so proportioned that it is receivable u on the sill 46 and between the jambs 47defin1ng the bot-' tom and sides of a window li ht 48 in preferably the forward door 49 of a closed automobile 51 of the sedan type. As clearly shown upon Fig. 1; the housing 11 is so proportioned that it extends from one jamb 47 to the other, and is seated upon the sill 46 outside the pane 52 of glass, which is adjustably carried by the door 49. In Fig. 9,

the device is similarly mounted with the ex ception that it is disposed inside the pane 52 instead of outside. The advantage of this latter installation is that the pane 52 may be movedto closed position, and the doors of the car locked so asto protect the device against'being stolen while the car is unattended.

The housing 11 is intended. to be rigidly secured to; the sill 46, by means of screws 53 or their equivalent. These screws are preferably of countersunk type and extend through apertures adjacent the ends of the housing 11 to be threaded into the sill 46.

The electrical conductors 21 or 41, as the case may be, extend downwards through apertures through the sill, and lead to any suitable type 0 energizing device notshown;

Thus it may be seen that we have provided an exceedingly compact, and yet, efiicientl operating vehicle signal fully capable 0 carrying out the objects hereinbefore stated. The particular" type of luminous element employed, will stand a great amount of hard usage such as the vibration to which any automobile accessory is continually subected. However, should the tube 16 become broken, replacement thereof may very easily be effected by the simple expedient of removtube 16 inserted therefor. The character of electrical contact employed, obviates the nenal is mounted, is damaged only to a very small extent, the only alteration of the vehicle necessary, being the provision of holes plate 27 may be employed to for the screws 53 and the conductors 21. This is important, in that it permits removal of the signals at any time, and in such a way that a barely perceptible trace of its having been installed thereupon, remains; and these marks may very easily be removed so that the resale value of the vehicle is in no wa reduced as a result of the signals installation. Even this much disfiguration of the surface of the vehicle, may be avoided if the holes through which the fastening screws 53 are to extend, are so arranged that when the device is mounted upon the sill 46 as in Fig. 9, these apertures are in registerwiththeholes in the sill 46 through which fastening screws 54 are normally disposed for the purpose of securing the sill 46 in position. These screws 54 may be removed 'to permit engagement of the threaded ends of the screws 53 in the same tapped holes as those in which the screws 54 were previously threaded, with the result that the same screws hold the sill 46 and the housing 11 inoperative position.

Fig. 10 shows a slightly modified manner of mounting the signal, wherein the housing 11, instead of-being mounted upon the $111 46, is aflixed to the outer face of the door 49 of the car 51. With the exception of the fact that the fastening screws 53 extend horizontally through the ends of the housing 11, instead of vertically therethrough, this embodiment may be in all respects, the same as that previously described. This method of intallation is possessed of certain advantages. When it is mounted so that the upper face 56 of the housing 11 is in planar alignment with the sill 46, it is obvious that it will in effect, widen the sill, making it more comfortable for the driver to rest his arm upon the sill while operating his vehicle. However, if it be found that in resting his arm upon the top of the housing, the driver tends to hide a portion of the luminous element, it

this embodiment, the anchoring block 62, ining the plates 27, whereupon the ends of the 1' broken tube 16 may be removed, and a new stead of being provided with rectangula-rly arranged sides, has its sides 63 flaring out- .wards to provide, in effect, a flange 64 upon each lateral edge of the blocks 62.. Each block 62 is adapted to be mounted in anchoring position by being slipped axially inwards of the associated end of the housing 61, a suitable recess66 being provided in each end, complementary to the block 62. A cushion 67 of rubber or other suitable resilient material, which forms the continuation of the inner face and outer end of each-block 62, is adapted to engage the luminousf elebrpent 16 and resiliently press the electrode 17 thereof, against the conductor 41 when the fastening screw 68 is tightened, it being understood that a suitable aperture 69 1s formed 5 in the block 62, and another aligned aperture 71 formed in the cushion 67, for the screw 68 to pass therethrough, Inasmuch as the same ,.;screws 68 may be employed to mount the housing 61 upon the side of the vehicle, the 1 screws 68 may also extend loosely through an aperture 72 in the end of the housing 61, so that its threaded end 7 3 may extend into a tap ed hole in the side of the vehicle or a nut, by means of which the device may be tightened in operative osition. Each block 62 is provided with a oot 76 similar to the foot 30, having an arcuate surface 77 conforming to the-tube 16.

Various changes may be made in the details of the invention as herein described without departing from the scope thereo as defined by the appended claims.

We claim: v 1. A vehicle side signal comprising an elongated, rigid housing having an opening in the forward face thereof extending longitudinally of said housing, a tube carried with- .in said housing and containing a gas adapted to be rendered luminous by electrical dis- 3 charge, said tube being visible through said opening, means for conductin energizing current to said tube, and means or mounting said housing upon a side surface of a. vehicle with a face of the housing abutting 3 against said surface andwith the remainder o the housing projecting outwards there from. a 2. A vehicle side signal comprising elongated, rigid housing having an opening 40 in the forward face thereof extending 10 itudinally of said housing, a tube carried wi in said housing and containing a gas adapted, to be rendered luminous by electrical discharge, said tube being visible through said opening, means for conductin energizing current to said tube, and means or mounting said housing upon a side surface of a vehlcle with a face of thehousing abutting a must said surface and with the remainder 5 0 the housing projecting outwards therefrom, said mounting means comprisin screws extending throu h said housingr an adapted to be threaded into the body of said vehicle. k r In testimony whereof we have signed our.

names to this specification.

FRANCES ETHEL GRAGG. -LEONARD B. .COHN. 

